Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Wednesday 09/12 A.M. Quickie:Pats, Russell, Peavy, WVU, More!

Please note: There will be no updates on the blog on Thursday or Friday and comments will be locked. The weekly CFB picks post and the NFL Week 2 picks post will be posted later today. Posts will return on Saturday.

I had started to write a lead item about the Patriots' cheating, but it got so big that I'm breaking it out into its own post, which is posted above.

Kevin Everett's recovery to the point where he might walk again would be the best news of the young NFL season.

JaMarcus Russell signs richest rookie deal ever: Was it worth the wait? Was he worth the dollars? We'll see... in 2008 and beyond.

MLB Stud, Team: Brewers, who used more power (Prince Fielder: HR No. 44) to take the lead in the NL Central.

Kudos to MLB on a cool playoff twist: The AL team with the best record will have its choice of playoff format in the ALDS.

Up to one hour after the top team's final regular season game, it will have the chance to decide whether it wants to start its playoff series on Oct. 3 or Oct. 4. Starting the series on 10/3 means the chance of only one back-to-back series in 8 days; starting the series on 10/4 would mean 5 games in 7 days. Not unsubstantial as an incentive. "This Time It Counts," for real.

CFB Tonight: West Virginia at Maryland. Should be a primetime showcase for WVU's insanely good offense, led by Heisman co-contenders Pat White and Steve Slaton, who I would rank (as a tandem) just below Brian Brohm and Ray Rice. All four from the Big East, it should be noted. Pick: WVU.

More CFB: Michigan QB Chad Henne won't just miss the Notre Dame game, but could miss a few more weeks after that. Here's a prediction: Ryan Mallett takes over the job and Henne gets Pipped. (Would any other unranked team get this kind of attention? I think not.)

NBA Rumormania: The Suns were apparently prepared to trade Shawn Marion for Andrei Kirilenko, who is expensive but not as pricey as the Matrix. I think playing on the Suns would have revitalized AK-47's career.

College Hoops: Ken Pomeroy is teaming up with Baseball Prospectus to give BP-style treatment to college hoops. Huzzah! "KenPom" will work with the great John "Big Ten Wonk" Gasaway on season preview content, too. (h/t: MDS at Fanhouse)

Hey Dan, still no mention of how ESPN really messed up the Eli injury story huh?

As for the Pats, got busted, but everyone you talk to says the samething, what they did is not that big of deal. Granted them getting caught is a big deal, but apparently this is part of the game. Teams, especially the Jets, just hate the Pats.

I think AK47 for Marion would benefit the Suns. It would give Phoenix a some defensive presence (AK is a great weak-side defender and Kurt Thomas was traded during the draft) and AK47 runs the floor.Marion seems to be done in Phoenix, the whole playing third fiddle to Nash and Amare probably has taken it's toll on him. I'm willing to bet he'd welcome a move (tho i'm sure most players wouldn't want to be in Utah)

As a Syracuse fan, Go Mountaineers!I nearly always root for the Big East in out of conference games and will also root against any ACC teams. I just find it great that so many were writing off the BE and ready to kick them out of the BCS. It seems the league is strong and healthy - well except for Syracuse.

One of the great statistical sites on the web:http://www.baseballprospectus.com/statistics/ps_odds.phpThey run 1,000,000 Monte Carlo type simulations of the remainder of the baseball season and determine the probability of each team making the playoffs. Basically they take into account statistics of the entire season and the starting pitchers and determine a probability of a team winning. Then the program chooses a random number to determine which team won each game. The Yanks for example now have over a 90% chance of making the playoffs.

If you think about it, a 4 game lead with 18 to go and that is about right. The Red Sox have about a 97% chance of winning the division and a 99.99% of making the playoffs.

In reality, it could be worse since key players can get injured and teams go into slumps. Seattle was a 40% chance of making the playoffs before going into their tailspin. Then again, what is the probability of a good team going on such an extended losing streak?

Was at Fenway last night, that was seriously an unreal game. Down 8-1, then winning 16-10. Even against Tampa's awful bullpen, it was absolutely amazing to watch.

For all of the negatives that there are about Red Sox fans, the fact that pretty much everyone stayed and was still cheering like crazy even down 8-1 was a testament to quality fandom. It really felt like a playoff atmosphere, even though it was a game against Tampa.

Todd, after watching the Yanks win using 3 rookie pitches (one guy first MLB appearance), I knew that the Red Sox would come back. Tampa Bay has a decent lineup and a few good starting pitches. However, once you get to their bullpen, they are just about the worst in baseball. I knew the Red Sox would come back.

In any event, Yanks have the WC in their control now and they won't win the division.

Cleveland is playing well now. It seems like yesterday when Clev and Seattle were duking it out. The big lead will help Clev set their rotation and rest their starters. Clev probably gets the Red Sox in the first round and Angels look like they are getting the Yanks.

I still would like to see the Cubs win the NL Central. Then again, Brewers fans also deserve something to cheer about. Good move going to the NL for the Brewers since they would be way out of it in the AL.

cycledan, I was just in Tonga in early August. It is near Samoa, just across the international date line and just north of the tropic of capricorn. It is one of only 2 countries in the world where you can snorkel with humpback whales, and that is what I did and it was amazing. Rugby is HUGE in Tonga, it's pretty much the only game they play. And Tongan men are big and physical which is perfect for rugby.

I would give anything for the Rays to get some decent setup men. Reyes is a decent closer but hell in order for him to have any chance at a same we have to have our starting pitchers go at least 7 for us to have a chance to win. So my fiance has told me I can have anything i want within reason for her making me miss the UF/UT game. What should I try to get out of her sexual favors or some kind of toy to play with like a Wii or that new Ipod.

I'm always rooting for the Big East too of course, it's great what the teams have done so far. I do have a huge hattred of all things ACC and Penn State (why not) as well.

As far as Syracuse, I know your suffering, but it's gotta end somewhere right?? Fire Robinson and get some of those alumni on the recruiting trail/motivational speaking trail (Hi, I'm Jim Brown/Larry Csonka/Donovan McNabb, don't you want to play for Syracuse?) Man, seeing them suck this bad...it's getting hard to watch, I thought it would turn around by now. We could use a great Syracuse team in the BE.

I have been to Tahiti but never Tonga. I figure they are similar except the French influence is huge in Tahiti. I think it was the British who messed around with Tonga hence they love of rugby. Being an Anglophile I am sure I would love it.

Cycledan I was thinking I should take a bunch of painkillers and when we get home from the wedding round one I watch the replay of the UF and the UCF game at the same time. Maybe I can distract her during the UCF game to slip it in the 2 hole jam spot. Either that or if she passes out I try to pull off an Abe Lincoln.

Sweet, the Bucs got rid of David Boston. I swear has there ever been a coach who brought in more useless talent than Gruden. I swear he would have ten qb's on the roster if he could. Hell, if Otto Graham was still alive I bet Gruden would try to sign him since he lived across the bay. Sometimes I wonder how in the hell we ever won a Super Bowl.

Yeah he definitely sucks as a personnel man. They never should have let McKay go. He was a Buc lifer and helped assemble a great defense but he never could get us any offensive talent. A bit like his dad. The Glazers need to either get rid of the Bucs or Man U. I think they care more about soccer these days and it is showing in the things going on at 1 Buc Place. I swear we have like five drunks on our team. Thank god for the Gators.

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DanShanoff.com is a sports-blog spin-off of my long-time ESPN.com column, "The Daily Quickie." Anchored by an early-morning post of must-know topics, the blog is updated frequently throughout the day with new posts and user comments.